Step 1: The basics of survival!

Always make sure that someone knows where you are going and when you're planning to come back. If something goes wrong, they will know when to get help.

Most valuable - before you trek anywhere unassisted check local knowledge. Find out about the basic geography of the area. Familiarize yourself with edible plants and animals and local seasonal dangers like floods and animal migrations.

Be prepared for the environment you're heading into - bring the right tools and supplies.

Use common sense. If you are lost, try to get your bearings before moving on. If you're tired, rest. If you're hungry, try to find food.

And always push yourself, the only way the people like bear grylls and ray mears survive is by pushing themselves beyond what the think they can do.

okay guys, listen up:bear grylls may be trained in the sas, and so is the camera guy, les. but always remember that it is a television show, and they will often do things that any survivalist will know is the exact wrong thing to do.take drinking urine for example. urine has no benefit left for the body whatsoever. it has all been filtered out, plus there are many harmful bacteria in urine, that can prove fatal. if you feel the sudden urge to drink urine, distill it first.

I enjoyed the reading, most points were "put through to the reader". A couple of extras, if you get rained on or fall in a creek (etc) keep moving. Your movement will keep your body warm and dry your clothes...don't overexert though as you may not know how long you will need to keep the energy stored in your body. Always always be carefull not to hurt yourself when building your Bivi or fire; compounds the situation if not just the wound. When camping/hiking don't sleep in the same clothing you've worn all day (the sweat will cool, leaving you to shiver all night, using precious energy and valuable rest for mind and body) use a dry change of clothes or butt naked if you happen to have a good sleeping bag. If you think you'll be stuck for a couple of days, try adding a thick layer of dirt/sod to the roof of your Bivi for the extra insulation. When baiting your "deadfall", if you aren't using parts of an already dead animal...you could have used that bait for yourself. (besides, do you really want to eat a Fox/coyote even if you were starving?) Fishing and snares are the way to go. Snares should be on an already made path by the animal you are after. That reminds me, a hook and 3-4 feet of fishing line would fit in your survival tin. If you want to burn green wood, use ALOT OF the smaller branches of pine/fir as the needles will burn bright hot and fast with lots of smoke.....used best if you hear a LOW LEVEL plane or helicopter. I've had my share of "adventures" self inflicted or not. I can say i've nevre been lost but definately been "stuck" a few times, from hot dry days to freezing temps. It's never "fun" but you do what you can to survive...I still have all my fingers and toes too.

Bear does not know where he is going????I saw an episode once where he got in from see, up a creek, into a small indian village in the middle of nowehere and there just happened to be a helicopter that he could jump in with his camera crew, without asking questions.

Les had a support group less than half a mile away from him at all times. One episode where he is in Alaska he calls them on day three.

Besides, Bear was in the SAS. They have extensive survival training. Yes, parts of the show are staged, but the point of the show is to get information across. If he acted exactly how he would in real life, there would be no show because he would be rescued within the day.

Both of them are very knowledgeable and experienced survivalists. You don't have to pick one or the other.

Bear is a presenter/host the guy is a hack he kills little furry animals just for the shows rating, disgraceful. Les knows his stuff, the guy quit the survivorman show because is was too much for him to film and survive at the same time. No crew for Les so props to him. But the guy pictured above to the right of Bear is the man. His name is Ray Mears and he is the top survival expert in my opinion. Humble does not so off, he is a matter of fact kind of guy. I respects this guys opinion, and if anyone wants to learn anything at all about survival skills in any environment he's you man.

The Opinel knives, as shown in the picture, are wonderful for just about everything. Easy to sharpen, inexpensive, with a good lock, and long lasting if treated correctly. Make sure to dry them out and then oil them or the wood soaks up water, swells, and the knife becomes VERY hard to open-- it's essential to have the knife dried and well oiled before going out in the woods, you'll never get it dry if it's raining and you might not have oil to treat the handle with while you're out there. Always have stuff like that in good condition, sharp, and otherwise well prepared ahead of time.

yip ive taken over your instructable im sorry (not really) ,but if i save a life its all good,another serious thing here (south africa is a largly semi to desert country and hot) is sunstroke,heat exhaustion,dehydration,all diffrent but related.A hat is mandatory,moving in temperature of 40c ,45c and above is just not a realistic option,Wake early move in the morning stop under shade from 10 am till 3pm (you can push this envelope depending how hot it is) and move again.always be aware of water,make sure you have it and can get it,dont waste it ,plan your route according to it (manage it).The sun can kill you before you are even aware you have a problem ,heat exhaustion and dehydration can cause irrepairable damage to your body which after it reaches a certain point cannot be treated anyhow and you will die.You can go home and die a week later from damage that was caused while out in the field.

an just by the way ive got that same camo jacket,its really awesome ,actually ive got about 5 camo jackets (im a freak yes i know my girlfriend tells me every day and she loves me so i know shes not lying) but that particular camo is one of my favs. as for knives girlfriend an i both carry 1907 lee enfield bayonets strapped into our rucksacks so they cant be seen an can be easily reached.most usefull knife,axe,spade,weapon,tin opener etc but a little heavy. if you ever get to south africa go hiking in the cedarberg its like bieng on another beautifull planet

the lesson that i learned i will never ever forget,we were lucky it was a small isolated cloud cluster.had it been an established cold front we could have been in deep poo.DO NOT TAKE NATURE FOR GRANTED EVER.dont play with mountain enviroments,they are beautiful and awesome (best places on earth) but extremely unpredicatable,vicious and unforgiving,needless to say i never go anywhere,even a desert hot place without a good all weather jacket and good boots anymore. you can die of hypothermia in a couple of hours and its all good an well having MRES,knives,fire makers etc etc but they are all useless if you freeze to death in the first six hours.

About This Instructable

Bio:I'm Ben, i enjoy the majority of all outdoor extreme sports and i partciuarly enjoy survival camps, hence the new series of instructables; How To Survive (in a certain place). These inbstrucables will...read more »